CHENNAI: Customs officials on Wednesday seized 111kg of pangolin scales, 160kg of dried sea horses, 180kg of dried pipe fish and 5kg of dried sea cucumbers from a godown at Mannady in Chennai on Monday night. All these species fall under Schedule I of Wild life (Protection) Act 1972. They also seized 125kg of manta and mobula ray gills which are listed under CITES Appendix and 79 kg of shark fins, export of which is prohibited. The total value of the seized items is around Rs 7 crore in International market. The officials searched the godown based on a specific intelligence. The got information that species like sea horses were stored in a godown and were likely to be taken to Mumbai for smuggling them to China and Southeast Asian countries. On seeing the officers, two men in the godown tried to run away. However, they were overpowered. It was found that the duo were business partners. They indulged in illicit trade of wildlife species. The men told the officials that they had procured marine wildlife species from Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district and from Kasimedu in Chennai.

The live marine wild life species were processed in the godown. The pangolin scales had been handed over to them by a Sri Lankan national, the duo told the officials. The seized wildlife species and the detained men would be handed over to the Tamil Nadu forest department for further.